A Memphis woman faces legal consequences following a shooting incident. Leticia Ferguson was charged with three counts of reckless endangerment after allegedly firing a gun into the air when she believed teens attempted to steal her vehicle, as reported by Action News 5.
The Memphis Police Department responded to a report of two teens being shot at on Kenneth Street, although they were not injured. Following the incident, Ferguson informed police that three juveniles had attempted to break into her Kia Sportage, according to her statement obtained by FOX13 Memphis. She went on to locate the juveniles on the same street and discharged a firearm into the air with the intention to deter them.
The charges leveled against Ferguson stem from a situation that put more than the alleged perpetrators at risk. In a statement shared by WREG, a neighbor recounted the harrowing moment he had to protect his young son during the gunfire. "My roommate was out here with us. He stood up and said, 'I think they are fixing to shoot.' I called my son over, and we heard a shot, and they left, and then 30 or 45 seconds later, we heard two more shots and a loud horn," the neighbor explained. This testimony highlighted the palpable danger that random gunfire can pose to unsuspecting residents.
Moreover, a neighbor provided police with home surveillance video showing a vehicle from which a gunshot was fired. This further confirms the reckless nature of discharging a firearm in an urban setting, where the risk of collateral damage is significantly high. "You can’t just fire bullets in the city. If someone is coming into my house at me, it’s different. When people are outside and trying to get away from you, you can’t do that," the same resident told WREG.
Despite the serious nature of the allegations, the juveniles involved in the alleged car break-in are not currently facing any charges, and it should be noted that in Tennessee, deadly force is only justifiable to protect against serious bodily harm or death. Ferguson has been released on a $7,500 bond and is expected to appear in court today.
